A centuries-old Ethiopian holiday tradition of tossing lemons (Lomii in Amharic), onto romantic prospects is getting a 21st-century reboot with the ‘Lomii’ dating app. Two tech developers who found themselves closed off from the dating scene during COVID-19-induced lockdowns found a way to fuse their cultural roots, tech skills, and entrepreneurial aspirations.
Users express interest in each other by throwing lemons (Lomii) to each other very much like the age-old tradition during Timket holidays with a basket of offerings availed each day.
The dating app, which was officially launched in January, has racked up 21,000 users who prefer its easy-to-use green interface in their romantic pursuits.
Bereket Lakew, cofounder of Lomii, had an ‘Aha’ moment amid the throes of the global pandemic as he found most offerings in the market ill-suited to his social battery. He and cofounder Ismael Kedir went about creating a beta version over the coming months that can best cater to a uniquely Ethiopian flavor.
“We were surprised by the immediate wave of downloads,” Berket told Shega.
Within three days of the beta launch, over 3,000 people downloaded the app, with the traffic overload crashing the service. The founders recognized a pent-up demand for their product and went on a lengthy optimization campaign to equip Lomii with expanded functionality.
Bereket hopes to make the dating app distinct from other products in the market by making it more suited for serious matrimonial-minded engagements than the hook-up culture-centric alternatives.
With over 33,000 matches, above 1.1 million Lomii’s tossed, and a portfolio of features slated for significant expansion, their efforts have started to bloom.
The dating app developed by Lemonade Software Plc currently provides its services for free with nearly everything built in-house by the cofounders. A blind chat option where casual conversations can spark up out of mere compatibility without the need for pictures is one of the upcoming features planned by the developers.
Related- Dating App Blends Innovation with Culture
Actual baskets of lemons laid out in some major festivals, carnivals, and public fairs to signal Lomii’s presence to users of the app while also paving the way for spontaneous meetups are also part of the innovative marketing campaign envisioned by the developers.
As the app’s popularity grows, the founders are also developing plans to expand the business model beyond relying solely on ad revenue. They are working on monetizing Lomii’s. Green Lomii’s will be used to reach potential prospects, while yellow ones will provide additional information about romantic interests.
“Subscription-based payment models feel out of sync with the spirit of the platform,” says Berket.
The founders, who have extensive background in the digital space, are keenly aware of the high deletion rates for dating apps and work to maintain it at reasonable levels.
“Deletion could mean failure or success for a dating app,” Bereket humorously noted.
Related- Dating Apps in Ethiopia
Globally, several well-known platforms exist. Tinder, the most popular global dating app, has made over 55 billion matches. Meanwhile, Bumble offers a unique twist, empowering women to initiate conversations.
Ethiopia has also seen a rise in homegrown startups. KumNeger, Gojo Dating, Ethio Marriage, and Jebena are some of the dating platforms currently matching partners in Ethiopia.
These apps aim to address dating challenges in the modern world while honoring local norms and values.
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